To the man who was too broken to love me:
I'm so sorry that we didn't meet sooner. I was 18 and still in a relationship that I was fooling myself into believing would work despite the distance and the opposite college schedules. Please don't think I never noticed you. I did, but I always pushed the thought out of my head. When my previous relationship became too toxic, you were there. Not in the days that followed, but in the weeks that followed. I think there's something to be said about those who are broken. They're the ones who try to fix others. I want to thank you for that. I always want to apologize for not being able to meet you sooner, to prevent you from being so broken that you could not let yourself love me. I wish I could remove the pain your ex-girlfriends' caused. I never told you, but I love you. I still do. I was scared of pushing you away if I said those small words. Your friendship meant the world to me, not just because I was in a place where I could not bring myself back up, but because my soul recognized yours. I don't know if we were lovers in a past life or never meant to be, but I do know that I will forever cherish the time we had together. I will not forget our first date and how we talked for hours and I learned about your mom and family, how the divorce affected you, how your tattoos have such deep meaning, except for the one you drunkenly got one night and how you only started to love coffee when you worked at Starbucks. I won't forget how our second date was the next day, and how I had never felt so comfortable with anyone else. Thank you for teaching me that the words "I love you" don't need to be said, but can be applied in the actions we take. Thank you for showing me that not every male in the world will be like my ex-boyfriend. Thank you for being your wonderful self. I may not be your eternal love, but you shall always hold a place in my heart. To the man who was too broken to love me, I will always love you.
